The Chaska Fire Department responded to a fire Monday morning inside the downtown Chaska Depot building.
According to building owner Dan Keyport, an employee of Dolca Vita Wine Shop showed up for work at about 9:30 a.m. and found smoke inside the facility. The fire department responded to the scene, discovering the source of the fire in the basement near the furnace.
Keyport said fire officials determined that the fire had caused a basement water pipe to burst, extinguishing the blaze before it spread.
“The fire chief said if the pipe had not burst, we would have lost the building,” Keyport said.
There is considerable water and smoke damage inside the building and both businesses that operate in the facility are closed until further notice. The wine shop is completely shut down, and Cheetah Computer Solutions is taking appointments for service by phone.
Damage estimates from the fire are not yet available.
According to a walking tour brochure for downtown Chaska, the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad company constructed its first depot structure on the site in 1871 to handle freight, passenger and telegraph service.
“Forty years later, citizens put pressure on the company because of the inadequacy of the original building, resulting in this more spacious brick building,” the description says. “After being vacated, the building has been altered to accommodate various businesses, but the basic building remains the same.”
